The present invention pertains generally to the automatic labeling of fruit and vegetables. More particularly, the invention provides a system for applying variable information “on the fly” to labels for single items of produce. The invention greatly reduces the number of labeling machines, label designs, and label inventory needed to automatically apply labels to produce. The invention simplifies packing operations and reduces costs by reducing the labor and label inventory required to automatically label produce.
The prior art typically requires separate labeling machines and label designs for each price look up or “PLU” number. PLU numbers are required by retailers to facilitate quick handling and accurate pricing of produce at checkout. For example, in order to apply labels denoting “small” or “medium” or “large” size designations for apples, the prior art typically requires three separate labeling machines, three separate label designs, and three label inventories. If a packhouse packs more than one brand, the equipment configuration is duplicated. This label application equipment is expensive, requires maintenance, and requires a significant amount of physical space on the sizer and thereby restricts where the packing operation may place their drops to further pack the fruit. The present invention facilitates the same labeling with only one labeling machine and one label design.
The present invention uses a laser to produce variable human or machine-readable codes on a pressure sensitive thin film produce label just prior to application. A laser-coding device is used to create a visible code on the label. The code can be produced by either marking directly onto the printed surface of the label, or by marking the printed surface from the backside, through the adhesive and film layers.
The laser coding machine receives a signal from the sizer or other sensing device that triggers the system to print variable information to individual labels which are subsequently applied to specific targeted fruit or other produce.
The use of this invention enables the printing of variable information on produce labels just prior to the label being applied to the produce, referred to herein as “print and apply,” by printing variable information specific to the targeted fruit or other produce. This allows the use of a common label with pre-printed standard information, thereby eliminating the need for multiple labeling machines and inventory of specific labels for each classification of produce being labeled.
The coding device uses a laser to produce a high intensity light beam to etch or mark the outer surface of the label. The laser light reacts with or removes material that is sensitive to the laser beam. This material can be an ink, a coating, and/or a filler which may react by changing color or by removing the ink and exposing a different color beneath the ink layer, thereby producing the code or mark. Using lasers in printing systems to react with or ablate layers of ink or other materials are known in the prior art, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,884,293; 6,103,989; 6,372,394 and 6,815,147; each of which is incorporated by reference. Other types of ink, substrates and lasers may also be used in the invention.
This invention may be used on any standard type labeling machine used in the produce labeling industry for automatically applying adhesive labels to produce, such as the standard Sinclair model RM6 (as shown and described in LaMers U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,217,164; 4,303,461; 4,454,180; 4,547,252; and Briggs et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,793, all of which are incorporated herein by reference as though set forth in full) or SPRM6 labeling system. The invention uses produce labels, a laser coding device, and an interface to control the laser from the host produce sorting equipment. The RM6 and SPRM6 labeling systems are used in the conventional way to apply labels to the produce. The Sinclair model RM6 and SPRM6 machines and Sinclair labels are commercially available from Sinclair Systems International, LLC, 3115 South Willow Avenue, Fresno, Calif. 93725.
The labeling system provides a means to apply the label to each individual piece of produce. The labeling system presents a label with a pre-printed surface to the laser on which the laser creates a predetermined code in response to a signal from the sizer or other sensing device. The laser provides the high intensity light to mark the label, and the interface interprets the information from the sizer (or other sensing device) to control the output of the laser. Interfaces for controlling lasers are known in the art, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,884,293 and 6,372,394, referred to above.
A primary object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method for applying variable information “on the fly” to labels just prior to the label being applied to a single item of produce.
A further object of the invention is to provide a “print and apply” system for applying coded information specific to a given produce item to a specific label just prior to that specific label being applied to the specific produce item.
Another object is to provide an automatic labeling system for produce which significantly reduces the number of labeling machines and label designs otherwise required to label a given quantity of produce.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and drawings, wherein